diff --git a/debian/version.go b/debian/version.go
index 3b8d9e58..f66b3843 100644
--- a/debian/version.go
+++ b/debian/version.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package debian
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"unicode"
@@ -168,3 +169,55 @@ func compareVersionPart(part1, part2 string) int {
 	}
 	return 0
 }
+
+// Version relations
+const (
+	VersionDontCare = iota
+	VersionLess
+	VersionLessOrEqual
+	VersionEqual
+	VersionGreaterOrEqual
+	VersionGreater
+)
+
+// parseDependency parses dependency in format "pkg (>= 1.35)" into parts
+func parseDependency(dep string) (pkg string, relation int, version string, err error) {
+	if !strings.HasSuffix(dep, ")") {
+		pkg = strings.TrimSpace(dep)
+		relation = VersionDontCare
+		return
+	}
+
+	i := strings.Index(dep, "(")
+	if i == -1 {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("unable to parse dependency: %s", dep)
+		return
+	}
+
+	pkg = strings.TrimSpace(dep[0:i])
+
+	rel := dep[i+1 : i+2]
+	if dep[i+2] == '>' || dep[i+2] == '<' || dep[i+2] == '=' {
+		rel += dep[i+2 : i+3]
+		version = strings.TrimSpace(dep[i+3 : len(dep)-1])
+	} else {
+		version = strings.TrimSpace(dep[i+2 : len(dep)-1])
+	}
+
+	switch rel {
+	case "<", "<=":
+		relation = VersionLessOrEqual
+	case ">", ">=":
+		relation = VersionGreaterOrEqual
+	case "<<":
+		relation = VersionLess
+	case ">>":
+		relation = VersionGreater
+	case "=":
+		relation = VersionEqual
+	default:
+		err = fmt.Errorf("relation unknown: %s", rel)
+	}
+
+	return
+}
diff --git a/debian/version_test.go b/debian/version_test.go
index d774016f..2f448678 100644
--- a/debian/version_test.go
+++ b/debian/version_test.go
@@ -97,3 +97,59 @@ func (s *VersionSuite) TestCompareVersions(c *C) {
 	c.Check(CompareVersions("1.0~beta1~svn1245", "1.0~beta1"), Equals, -1)
 	c.Check(CompareVersions("1.0~beta1", "1.0"), Equals, -1)
 }
+
+func (s *VersionSuite) TestParseDependency(c *C) {
+	p, r, v, e := parseDependency("dpkg (>= 1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionGreaterOrEqual)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg(>>1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionGreater)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg (> 1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionGreaterOrEqual)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg (< 1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionLessOrEqual)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg (= 1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionEqual)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg (<< 1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionLess)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg(>>1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionGreater)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "1.6")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg ")
+	c.Check(e, IsNil)
+	c.Check(p, Equals, "dpkg")
+	c.Check(r, Equals, VersionDontCare)
+	c.Check(v, Equals, "")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg(==1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, ErrorMatches, "relation unknown.*")
+
+	p, r, v, e = parseDependency("dpkg==1.6)")
+	c.Check(e, ErrorMatches, "unable to parse.*")
+}